Money to tear down the vacant eyesore that was Camp Waterloo prison camp will be sought in the next state budget, said state Rep. Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake.

"There is definite effort being put into making this a priority in the next budget process," said Shirkey, whose district includes the state-owned property in Waterloo Township.

Camp Waterloo closed in 2001 and was left, with a lot of junk, to rot. Parts were set on fire in 2009.

Responding to local complaints, state officials directed inmate work crews to clean up the property in December. Much progress was made but the vacant buildings remain.

Neighbors appealed to the Jackson County Board of Commissioners this week to urge state government to allocate money to raze the property, which would cost an estimated $800,000 or more.

Shirkey said both he and state Rep. Earl Poleski, R-Spring Arbor Township, are determined to seek funding.

The Department of Corrections has other crumbling and abandoned properties around the state which also need to be cleaned up, Shirkey said.

"It is now being recognized that this is our responsibility to take care of this," he said.

State government will not have enough money to raze all vacant prison properties at once, Shirkey said, so a priority list must be drawn up. All indications suggest Camp Waterloo will be at or near the top of the list, he said.